The 12 Days of Christmas Challenge  2011
by Rikku9314
Summary: A collection of NejiTen and KibaHina drabbles
1. Sock Puppets

"What exactly…are they?" Neji asked, staring at the articles of clothing sitting on display in the department store.

"They're mittens! Aren't they adorable?" Tenten pressed her hands up against the glass, cursing the barrier that sat between her and her gloves…

"But…they have faces on them…and ears…?" He couldn't quite believe what he was seeing, nor could he understand how any self-respecting person could wear mittens in the form of animal critters on their hands, essentially wearing sock puppets to keep warm. He sighed. "Do you really need THOSE particular gloves, Tenten? What about those purple ones over there?" he asked, gesturing to a pair of fuzzy fuchsia mittens that were part of a matching set with a hat and scarf.

Tenten shook her head. "Nope…these ones are perfect, I've had my eye on them for awhile now…" she answered, not taking her eyes off of them.

"Well….alright I suppose…" he said, giving in. He knew that once his girlfriend had her mind set on something it would become nigh impossible to deter her.

Tenten squealed and leapt at Neji, nearly knocking him off of his feet on the icy sidewalk. "Thank you , thank you, thank you Neji! Okay, you go buy them, I'll go find a place to sit and have a hot drink." She quickly pecked him on the check and then ran off down the boulevard away from him.

"Wait, why do I….!" Neji protested, calling after her, but Tenten had already turned around a corner. He stood there dumfounded for a few seconds. She couldn't really expect him, a male, to go in and buy animal mittens for her…could she?

She could.

Neji took a deep breath to steady himself, and then opened the door to the store.

A small bell chimed as he walked in. People were everywhere, hurrying to get their Christmas shopping done. He had hoped that it would be fairly empty and that not many people would see him walk lividly over to display of mittens and grab the ones that resembled a panda. He picked them up, turning them over in his hand. It seemed to him as if these so called gloves were laughing at him, their eyes constantly staring at him as he walked over to the cashier.

"Ahem…I would like to purchase these, please," he said to the very bored looking lady at the till. She stared at him and the mittens for half a second and then smirked, before ringing them in.

"Would you like these in a bag or would you like to wear them…?" she asked, her eyes twinkling as she accepted his payment. Neji's ears turned red.

"In a bag please…" he said under his breath. He quickly grabbed the bag off the counter and hurried out of the store, praying that no one he knew had seen him. His prayers went unanswered.

"Hey, Hyuga, nice mittens!" called an all too familiar voice from the department store door beside him. Neji turned to see the fang haired boy and his cousin coming out of the store, their hands full of bags. Neji's ears turned red, both from embarrassment and from anger at the fact that out of all people it would be Kiba who saw him in the store. He knew he would never let him live this one down.

Just then Tenten came running up to him and snatched the bag out of his hands, donning her brand new mittens. After inviting the couple to join them for hot chocolate, she excitedly showed them to the Hinata and to Kiba, who still insisted on saying how nice it was that Neji was letting her borrow his precious purchase.

Neji made a mental note to kill Tenten about this later.


	2. Hot Chocolate

Hinata smiled slightly as she brought the mug of hot cocoa to her lips, sipping the warm chocolaty liquid carefully so as not to burn her lips.

"Ouch!" yelled her boyfriend beside her, slamming his cup down on the small table that the four friends had occupied inside the small café on the main street of Konoha. "I burned my tongue!" Kiba said, not altogether quietly, and held his hand to his mouth.

Hinata snickered at the look on her cousin's face across the table. Neji's face was contorted into his signature scowl, and he was no doubt reveling in the fact that after all of Kiba's teasing about Tenten's mittens karma had finally caught up with him.

"You shouldn't have drunk it so quickly, Kiba!" scolded Tenten, blowing over the top of her own mug, hands still covered in her new panda mittens. "So do you guys have any plans for the rest of the day? It looks as though you two are about done with your Christmas shopping." She gestured to the various bags and parcels that Kiba and Hinata had at their feet.

Hinata smiled and nodded. "We both got the last of our presents today. It's a huge relief having that done," she answered. She looked over at Kiba who was trying to soothe his burnt tongue and smiled. "I don't think we had anything planned for later tonight?"

Kiba shook his head. "Nope, I was just going to take Hinata home and enjoy a nice evening of Christmas movies and snuggling." He took his arm that wasn't holding his hot chocolate and wrapped it around Hinata's shoulders, sending the other Hyuga a sly wink. He chuckled as Neji's hand tightened around his own cup and he shot the Inuzuka a death glare that clearly expressed his wish to leap across the table and throw Kiba halfway across the continent and away from his cousin. Hinata's face reddened at the abrupt, albeit rather minor, public display of affection before deciding to enjoy this and leaned into Kiba's gesture. She wasn't sure what it was but whenever she was around her team mate she found herself daring to do things she would never do otherwise, including risking the wrath of her cousin. Neji turned his warning glare towards her this time.

"Well that's okay, you can skip out on that tonight," Tenten said and added under her breath, "although I'm not sure either of you would live to see tomorrow if you did do that…" She cleared her throat. "Anyways, I thought it would be fun to go out ice skating tonight. I know of a nice little pond by the training grounds that no one goes to, so we can have the whole thing to ourselves. What do you guys think?"

"Sounds good to me!" exclaimed Kiba, downing the rest of his hot chocolate while Hinata silently nodded her head in agreement. "Why don't we meet at Team Eight's training grounds at 9 and go from there? Good? Okay, see you then!" And with that he gathered their packages in his arms and dragged a reluctant Hinata out of the restaurant and onto the busy streets outside.

The two of them walked in silence for awhile, but Hinata didn't mind. That was one thing about Kiba that she loved. While on the outside he was loud and according to some, obnoxious, he admitted to her that when it was just the two of them he was more than happy to sit in silence. She smiled as she thought at how complete the two of them were with each other. She quiet when he wasn't around, but with him she was loud and playful. And while Kiba was often rowdy around the other guys, when the two of them were alone together Kiba would simply hold her and say not a word.

"You know you really should be careful with how you act with me when Neji is around, Kiba…if he reports anything out of proportion to Father we're going to be in big trouble…" she scolded him, leaning against his arm as they walked down the boulevard.

"I don't think he would dare, not with him dating Tenten without the elders' approval. Anyways, if he did and they tried to separate us I'd come and rescue you and we'd run away and they'd never find us," he said, kissing her lightly on the top of her head. Hinata smiled and huddled closer to him, happy that for now the two of them were together.

"Besides, did you see the look on Neji's face when you leaned into it? Priceless!"


	3. Just Like Last Year

"He…haha, oh man Neji!" Tenten laughed clutching her sides, tears forming the corner of her eyes. Beside her Hinata stifled laughter with her gloved hand while Kiba made no effort to conceal his own amusement. Tenten knew that she really shouldn't be laughing. It had after all been her idea to go skating and she knew that she should feel guilty, but the sight of Neji lying there on the ice had her sides in stitches.

It wasn't that Neji was a bad skater. Far from it, he was probably the most graceful of them all on the ice, but all it had taken was one bump on the smooth surface to send him tumbling down and sliding across the ice right into a pile of snow the four of them had cleared away. Tenten tried to suppress her laughter to chuckles and skated over to her boyfriend, his pride very well wounded as she began helping him out of the snow.

"This is just like the sledding last year…" she said, still snickering slightly as Neji turned over and glared accusingly at her. "What? Don't look at me like that, you're the one who tripped!" She playfully shoved his shoulder and started to get up when Neji grabbed her wrist and shoved her face first into the pile of snow that he had just been freed of. Tenten shrieked and pulled back, surprised at Neji's sudden playfulness, especially in the company of his cousin and younger friend. She grinned mischievously before grabbing a handful of snow and throwing it at her boyfriend, her face now dripping and cold.

"WAHOOO!" yelled Kiba as he sped across the ice towards them, pushing a screaming Hinata in front of him, and tossed her into the snow beside Tenten before leaping into it himself. Tenten covered her eyes to shield them from the spray of snow and then Neji grabbed her again, pulling her into the snow with him. They wrestled for a few minutes before Neji gained the upper hand and trapped her in a headlock.

"Alright, Hyuga, this is war!" she yelled at him, wiggling free of his grasp and scooting away from him, back onto the ice. She grabbed Hinata with her, the two of them skating far away from the men to the other side of the pond. "BRING IT!" she shouted at them.

Neji and Kiba stood up, exchanged glances, grinned at each other and then started racing across the ice towards the girls.

The once silent night erupted into a cacophony of noise and the screams, giggles and bellowing could be heard back at the training grounds.


	4. Sorry

They sat in opposite corners of the cabin, neither one speaking or even looking at the other.

It had been something silly and unimportant really. He had something that had irritated her, she had retaliated, and before either of them knew it they were arguing, each one accusing the other of doing or saying something that they hadn't.

The noise had attracted the nearby enemy ninja and they had engaged the couple, but because of the argument their timing was sloppy and the battle lasted much longer than it should have despite their normally flawless combinations. This, of course, had only served to irritate them even more and when the battle had ended they both simply walked on in silence, determined to still finish their mission. It was Neji who had broken the silence, explaining that the combination of the dark grey clouds ahead and their mountain terrain was evident of a coming blizzard and suggested they find shelter. The convenient cabin was nestled at the foot of the mountain and when the winds started it should have been a cozy and romantic stop for any pair of lovers.

But they simply sat in silence.

Tenten glanced up, staring at her boyfriend through her bangs. She was fuming. _I can't believe he was so inconsiderate! _she thought to herself. Truth be told she couldn't even remember what it was they had fought about anymore, only that he had infuriated her in a way only he could. _He always thinks he's right, no matter what, I'm always the first one to apologize. Well not today. He's going to have to come to me this time._ She shivered and wrapped her blanket tighter around her. The cabin was not properly insulated and the frigid wind howling outside was finding its way in through cracks and gaps, chilling the small building; the small fire in the fireplace did little to warm her when it was so far away.

Neji looked up at her then, his stare colder than the weather outside, but it was his lavender eyes that held her attention; they were full of remorse. Tenten refused to give in and "hmphed", looking away.

She bit her lip. The billowing snow outside matched the flurry of emotions she felt at the moment. She felt angry, hurt, sad…but the more the wind blew, the more the negative emotions ebbed. She shivered again, goose bumps forming on her arms, as the storm blew hard against the cabin suddenly, shaking the windows. A few minutes later the wind died down to a soft whistle, and with it Tenten's inner storm as well. It was, after all, the holiday season, and with Christmas only eight days away was it really worth it to stay mad for so long? Wasn't the point of the holiday to show the ones you cared for the love you felt for them?

Swallowing her pride Tenten stood up and walked over to Neji, his back turned to her. She kneeled behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, feeling him stiffen in response. She kissed him lightly on the head and whispered in his ear. He relaxed and turned, enveloping her in his chest as she cried quietly. Together the two of them sat in front of the fire, waiting the storm out.

"I love you and I'm sorry…."


	5. Up on the Housetop

Hinata woke with a start, eyes darting around her room at the Hyuga compound. _What was that…? _ she thought. She turned to look at her clock. 3:00 a.m. What could be making noise at three in the morning?

_Click…click…click…_

There it was again! It sounded like…footsteps? Hinata couldn't be sure. Whatever it was, it was coming from above her. She was just about to activate her Byuakugan when she heard another set of _clicks_, these ones faster but quieter than the first ones, and they were coming from a different location. The first set resumed again slowly…then suddenly fast along with the second set, growing louder all the while. A few seconds later it all ended as Hinata heard a yell she knew all too well.

She shrieked as there was a loud bang outside her window followed by the sounds of a struggle and some rather loud grumbling. Hinata threw off her blankets and ran to the window. Throwing back the curtains, she opened the window, shivering as the cold outside air blew into her face and hair.

Kiba lay pinned face first onto the snow covered ground, arms held behind his head. And sitting on Kiba was none other than Neji.

"Ger off meh!" Kiba mumbled into the ground, squirming as Neji sat himself down on him, pushing his head back down into the snow.

"What did you think you were doing? Sneaking into the Hyuga compound? Do you realize how lucky you are that I was on duty to tonight and recognized your chakra pattern with my Byakugan?" Neji yelled furiously at the younger ninja, completely disregarding the fact that most of the compound would be awoken by the commotion. Kiba turned his head to the side.

"You call this lucky?" he said. His eyes caught Hinata's and he grinned. "Hinata! You're awake! Can you tell your body guard here to get off of me so that we can visit properly?"

"Shut it, you're not going anywhere except back home," Neji replied for her, still not letting Kiba get up.

"Um…Neji….could you…?" Hinata asked timidly, watching the scene play out before her in the yard.

"Honestly, did you really think you could break into her room without getting caught?" Neji said, ignoring her. Hinata was starting to get a bit frustrated at Neji's overreaction, knowing that she would be the one in trouble the next morning for keeping everyone awake since it was her boyfriend that had tried to get in.

"I made it this far didn't I…" Kiba mumbled under his breath, infuriating Neji even more, causing him to twist his arm. "OW! Alright, alright, I give…I'll go home, now lemme up!" Neji released his grip slowly and stood up, backing away from the Inuzuka.

"Go. Home," he said coldly, crossing his arms.

Kiba stood up, dusting himself off and rubbing his sore wrists from Neji's iron grip. "See you tomorrow for training, Hinata," he said, waving to her, starting to turn away. At the last second he ran forward and surprised her by kissing her swiftly before running out of the compound, cackling all the way as Neji gave pursuit, screaming something about mutts and dog breath.

Hinata sighed, closed the window and snuggled back down into her blankets. She smiled.

It was nice after all to know there were TWO guys looking out for you.


	6. Sleigh Ride

"No peeking now! Keep them closed!" Kiba walked behind Hinata, one hand covering her eyes, the other resting on her waist to guide her through the woods. He had showed up at her room in the compound thirty minutes ago, promising a surprise, and had guided her to their training grounds where he had insisted on her closing her eyes. His nervousness was beginning to build up. He had had this planned for months.

"Kiba, where on earth are you taking me?" Hinata took a tentative step forward, not trusting her feet to keep her from tripping when she couldn't see.

"We're almost there, just be patient!" He smiled as he led her through a break in the trees emerging onto an old and little used path few in the village knew about. He had found it a year ago while training with Akamaru and he had worked tirelessly to remove the debris and re-blaze it. All in preparation for this day.

"Take one more step forward…there, stop. Open your eyes!"

A beautiful red and gold sleight was sitting in front of them, faux fur blankets laid out for cushioning and warmth, and harnessed to the sleigh was none other than Akamaru who gave a cheerful bark to greet them and stood wagging his tail.

"Kiba, it's wonderful!" she said, running forward to Akamaru and patting him on the head to say hello. Kiba walked over to the side of the sleigh and cleared his throat.

"After you, madam," he said, holding his hand out to help Hinata up into it, before climbing in himself and wrapping the two of them up in a blanket. Akamaru started forward at a jog, pulling the couple down the trail.

The forest was silent as the sleigh passed through it, bells on the harness jingling quietly as it was pulled along the trail. Snow was beginning to fall softly, settling on Kiba and Hinata, but they were far from cold as they snuggled up closer to each other. Kiba however was far from calm.

"This is perfect, thank you Kiba," Hinata said, resting her head on his shoulder. He wrapped one arm around her, nervously fingering the small box in his pocket as he did so. He took a deep breath. It was now or never.

He removed the box, placing it in her hand as she looked up curiously at him. "An early Christmas gift," he told, swallowing a lump in his throat. His heart pounded as she removed the ribbon holding the box shut. She slowly dumped out a second velvety box and looked up at him with wide eyes. He nodded.

She opened the box and gasped.

"Merry Christmas, Hinata…"


	7. Here We Come ACaroling

Like the beginning of many stories involving our stoic, dark haired, light eyed Hyuga hero, Neji had no idea how he had ended up in this situation. He was standing on the doorstep of a home he didn't know, his bun haired team mate standing beside him, both of them holding a couple of pieces of paper with notes on them. And also like many of these stories we must turn our attention back a few hours to the culprit of their most recent shenanigan.

_"Neji, come on, this will be fun! What better way to spread the Christmas cheer?" Tenten whined at him, tugging on his shirt sleeve, looking up at him with puppy dog eyes. Neji was refusing to make eye contact. He knew that if he looked at her he would give in. For him there was just no resisting those brown eyes of hers…._

_ "Pleeeeeease?" she said. She jumped in front of him and Neji was slow to react. She captured his gaze. She captivated him each time he looked at her. He wasn't sure what it was about her that sent shivers down his spine each time he gazed at her. He sighed._

_ "For me?" Tenten said, batting her eyelashes._

"I'm going to kill you for this, Tenten," he muttered under his breath as Tenten rang the doorbell.

"No you're not, you love me too much." She grinned up at him and winked. Neji heaved a heavy sigh. She was right. He shivered slightly as a chilly wind blew past them, his scarf and hair billowing. He was definitely ready for this to be over and to return to their home together to sit in front of the fireplace. This was the twentieth house they had visited.

The two of them heard footsteps coming to the door and when it opened Neji groaned out loud. Standing in the doorway was none other than the fang faced boy that irritated Neji every time the two crossed paths. Of all the houses Tenten could have picked it had to have been his. Hinata's head popped out from around the corner and she too came to the doorway as everyone exchanged greetings, three of the four smiling and laughing. Neji however stood still as a board and stared blankly past the younger couple. There was no way he was going to do this no matter how much he loved Tenten. He could run, run far away into the forest where no one would be able to find him again and he would never have to participate in such an embarrassing display of "Christmas cheer" ever again. A sharp nudge in his side shook him from his day dreams and he glared icily down at Tenten as she looked expectantly up at him.

"No," he said firmly, crossing his arms. Tenten's smile faded and she gave him a glare that rivaled any of his own.

"Yes," she growled, just as firmly. Neji gulped. He thought of what she would do to him when they got home if he refused to do this. It wasn't worth the bruises. He nodded slowly.

Tenten turned back to their friends and smiled sweetly before the two of them began.

"On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…."

* * *

><p>"Never again Tenten, I'm never doing that again," Neji said as the two of them walked home. "You will never get me to carol again." Tenten laughed, grabbing his hand.<p>

"Okay, thank you for doing that for me this year though," she said, kissing him lightly on the cheek and leaning against his arm. Neji sighed and wrapped his arm around his love, kissing the top of her head. He loved her, but he vowed he would never let her embarrass him like that again.

Kiba's laughter rang in his ears the entire way home.


	8. The Tradition

It had become a tradition.

Their first Christmas together, the year they moved in together, the two of them had gone Christmas shopping together. Hinata had spotted It, sitting in the window of a department store. The pines were painted pure silver, small holly berries adorning it along with a large crimson satin ribbon at the base. She had fallen so in love with it that Kiba had returned to the store later and purchased it. Later that night he surprised her with it and the two had hung the wreath up on their door together.

The year that followed was a happy one. Their days were spent together and with their friends and with no overly dangerous missions assigned to them the couple was content to just enjoy life. A year after they bought the wreath to the day Kiba proposed and Hinata had accepted. After they got home, before going to cuddle in front of the fireplace, Kiba had fished out the silver wreath and like the year before they both set it upon its hook outside their home.

Three months into the next year a war had broken out between the Hidden Villages, postponing their impending marriage as they were sent into a maelstrom of battles and negotiations. The two were put on separate squads but each day both Kiba and Hinata would look up at the sky and pray that the other was looking at it too. Joyously the war ended two months later, but a new war began as Hinata's father had decided to marry her off to the head of a clan in another village to ensure political stability within the new alliance. It had taken another three months before Hinata could convince him that it was Kiba she loved and would settle for no less. The couple had a winter wedding, early in December. As they were unpacking in their new home, Hinata began throwing boxes around the living room and she uncharacteristically cried out in frustration, claiming that they must have lost it during the move. Kiba pulled the wreath out of the box and smiled as his wife's face turned a bright crimson just like it did years ago before they went to hang it on the door.

And now another year had passed. Hinata stood in the doorway holding the wreath in one hand, her other hand resting on her swollen belly as she stared out into the night. He had been gone on the mission for two months, promising that he would be back in time to put the wreath up with her, but now she stood in the cold, alone with their unborn child, as she watched the snow fall gently down. _He promised_. A shadow appeared in the night and walked towards her. Her heart jumped as she ran out into the snow, regardless of her bare feet and leapt at her love. He swung her around, kissing her over and over.

Together the two of them walked back to the house and hung the wreath before disappearing inside.


	9. Do You Really Want to Know?

"_Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way_…" Kiba sang to himself while holding one end of a long string of garland. He quickly tied it in a knot around a hook in the wall and then hopped off his step ladder.

"_Oh what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh, HEY!_" From the other end of the room where he stood tying his own end to the wall Neji shot him a dark look.

"Will you quit that?" he growled, walking over to the decorations table. "I've had enough of Christmas songs to last me years…" he muttered under his breath. Kiba broke out into a wide grin and threw an arm around the older man's shoulders, much to his irritation.

"Now now, Neji, you have a wonderful voice. Come now, sing with me! _Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful_…" There were few things Kiba enjoyed in life as much as annoying the Hyuga that now stared icily at him. There was something about the way Neji's eyebrow twitched, how his fists clenched and how his eyes flashed that sent Kiba on an all out bugging spree. Hinata had scolded him for it on multiple occasions but he just couldn't seem to stop.

So when Tenten and Hinata had announced that they were holding a Christmas party for all of their friends and had asked them to decorate while they went out and bought food Kiba couldn't say no.

It wasn't until Kiba walked past the table, still humming "Let it Snow" that his smirk grew into what can only be described as an evil grin. He grabbed the small plant with white berries and walked towards Neji, a mischievous look on his face. Neji looked up from the string of paper snowflakes he was unfolding, took one look at Kiba and the plant he held in his hand and took a step backward.

"Don't even think about it, dog breath," he said. When Kiba took a step forward Neji readied himself into his eight trigrams position. Kiba merely grinned at him. Neji glowered.

"Oh c'mon Neji just a quickie!" Kiba lunged at him but didn't get very far before Neji used two fingers to hit a pressure point on his arm, causing Kiba to drop the mistletoe. The Inuzuka looked down at the plant in disbelief and then back at Neji, glaring at him. "So that's how you want to do it, is it?"

Twenty minutes later the girls returned to the apartment to find both boys lying on the floor panting and to their amazement, laughing. Tears were streaming down Kiba's cheeks, and Neji was trying to say something that kept getting interrupted by spurts of chuckles. The girls looked around in amazement at the destroyed room.

Thankfully none of the furniture had been harmed. The table holding the decorations had tipped over, spilling glitter, garland, mistletoe, holly, paper cutouts and all manner of ribbons onto the floor. Anything that had been hanging before hand was ripped down and shredded pieces of white paper littered the floor. It looked like a tornado had ripped through the room.

Hinata leaned over to Tenten and whispered, "What happened?"

Tenten shook her head. "You know what…I really don't think we want to know."


	10. Christmas Party

Kiba sighed heavily and took another long sip of his punch, leaning against the wall behind him. While he certainly was one for celebrations the five hour long Christmas party was quickly becoming dull. The same music was playing, the same jokes being cracked, the same dances being danced. He desperately looked around for someone he knew but his friends had long since departed and all that remained were academy students from Neji and Tenten's year, people he had never had occasion to meet, and the older crowd Hinata had been obligated to invite due to her father's insistence. Kiba had a nagging feeling it was simply so that he could inadvertently chaperone he and Hinata. Neji and Tenten, the two who were hosting the party, had slipped away hours ago, no doubt more so for Neji's sake than Tenten's.

He stifled a yawn. It was well past midnight and he was ready to head home for the night. He scanned the crowd for his girlfriend, eyes skimming the faces of people he didn't know until at last his gaze lighted upon her. She looked beautiful underneath the green and red lights, their tint causing the glitter covered sash on her simple gown sparkle as she stood talking to an old friend of her father's.

Hinata's eyes met his and she smiled, excusing herself from the older gentleman, and gracefully walked across the makeshift dance floor in the middle of Tenten's living room towards him.

"Enjoying yourself?" she asked, standing beside him against the wall. Kiba wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close.

"Much more so now…" he whispered in her ear, kissing her on the cheek. Hinata's smile deepened and she too attempted to hide a yawn. She leaned her head on her boyfriends shoulder. Kiba inhaled deeply, absorbing himself in the scent of her. She smelled of gingerbread and peppermint, indications of the season they were now enjoying but he could still pick out the underlying scent of her peony shampoo, a scent he had come to associate with her. It took all his self control not to scoop her up right there and carry her off into the night.

The fast paced tempo of the music he was hearing changed suddenly as "Jingle Bell Rock" turned to "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas". Hinata perked up suddenly beside him and looked eagerly up at his face. She grabbed his hand and without a word dragged him onto the dance floor where only two other couples stood swaying.

Hinata rested her hands on his shoulders, nudging him slightly to put his hands on her waist. He obliged and the two of them began swaying in time with the music, a simple dance, yet intimate. Kiba looked down at her and his heart was full of love. He couldn't fathom how he had ended up with such an amazing woman. Her eyes were closed, her lips moving as she silently sang along to the lyrics. Chaperones be damned, Kiba leaned down and kissed her softly, interrupting her song. Hinata kissed him back, wrapped her arms around his neck.

Then again, Kiba thought as Hinata pulled away and rested her head on his chest, maybe it was worth staying a little longer.


	11. Success!

He was just putting the finishing touches on the present, wrapping ribbon with a bell strung on it around the box, when he heard a high pitched squeal.

"Neji! Neji, Neji, Neji, Neji!" Tenten screamed as she ran out of her bedroom and into the living room where her boyfriend sat on the couch wrapping presents. Neji had no idea what could be so important as Tenten plopped herself cross legged down on the floor in front of him and stared up eagerly. He raised an eyebrow,

"What is it?" he asked, setting aside the gift and looking at Tenten. Her amber eyes were sparkling, her face full of excitement.

"I finally did it!" she yelled, jumping up and down on her bottom slightly. Neji was even more confused now. He couldn't possibly imagine what she could have accomplished in the ten minutes she had been gone in her room that could be ever so important.

"Did what, Tenten?" He sat back, crossing his arms over his chest. Tenten stood up.

"Come and see, come and see!" she said. She reached forward and grabbed his hand in hers as he reluctantly got up from the comfy spot on the couch. He let her lead him to the door to her bedroom.

"Now close your eyes. Do it!" Neji sighed exasperatedly and closed his eyes as Tenten opened the door and led him inside.

"Okay you can open your eyes now!"

Neji did. He looked around the room once, twice, not noticing anything that could have Tenten so pleased with herself. "I'm not sure I understand…" he said, looking at Tenten quizzically. She rolled her eyes at him and pointed at the bed.

"The present!"

Neji stepped up to the bed and stared at the gold, green and red bag that sat on top of the bed covers, white tissue paper sticking out of the top messily, though prettily. Neji shook his head, still confused. "I don't think I get it."

Tenten sighed heavily. "Honestly, do I have to spell everything out for you Neji. Can't you see? I wrapped a present!" she squealed again and stared at her creation. "Isn't it perfect?" she asked to no one in particular. Neji smiled. Now he understood. For years wrapping presents had been a battle for Tenten. Every birthday and Christmas she would try again and again to cover gifts in patterned wrapping paper but usually only succeeded in ripping, shredding, or taping the heck out of the items and Neji would end up doing it for her. Today marked the end of a mission Tenten had embarked on years ago and Neji was happy to share in her joy. She turned back to him, a wide grin on her face and held the bag up for him to see.

"Success!"


	12. Light a Candle

Tenten took a deep breath to steady herself. She was sitting on her bed, hands clasped in her lap. She had been in that position for an hour. She jumped as there was a knock on her bedroom door.

"Tenten, are you ready to go?" Neji's muffled voice asked from the other side of the door. Tenten sighed.

"Yes," she replied. She grabbed her coat, hat and mittens and together the two of them set out into the snow. Tenten dug her hands into her pockets and looked up at the sky. A thin layer of clouds veiled the stars, dulling their brilliance but not completely blocking them from view, as they let tiny white flakes fall to the ground around them. Small white clouds of condensation formed each time she breathed. The night was silent except for the soft crunching of their boots as they trudged through the snow.

"Do you have it?" Tenten asked Neji in a quiet voice, looking at her feet. She saw him nodding out of the corner of her eye and closed her eyes.

It had been one year since she'd received the news of her parents' death but time had not dulled the ache of the wounds. Every time she thought about her parents it felt as though she had been punched in the stomach. She tried to hide the pain that for her surrounded this joyful season, plastering a smile on her face, laughing and trying her hardest to be happy. Her unhappiness, however, did not go unnoticed by Neji.

And that was how they had ended up outside on this cold Christmas Eve, walking towards the bridge that overlooked the stream that ran through the village. Neji had said it would be a good way to say goodbye, to let go.

They arrived a few minutes later and to Tenten's surprise, Kiba and Hinata were waiting for them.

"We want to be here for you," Hinata said, squeezing Tenten's hand as Kiba nodded, for once having nothing to say. Tears welled up in Tenten's eyes at her gratitude towards her friends. She vowed to remember that even though things may be lost, there was always someone there to help her back up again.

"Ready?" Neji asked. Tenten nodded. He removed the small lantern from the bag he carried it in. The shade was mostly pure white, to commemorate the purity of life, with swirls of pale red splashed across it to represent love, as well as small sprinklings of green to represent the hope for a new beginning.

Neji held the lantern out as Tenten struck a match and lit the small candle inside. She looked at Neji, the soft glow of the fire dancing in his eyes. He nodded at her and passed her the lantern. The four of them turned and looked out over the river. The clouds had cleared and the night sky was clear above them. Tenten took a deep breath and then, with a soft lift of her arm, raised the lantern into the sky.

It floated up softly, heading in the direction of the river, its muffled glow a pale reflection of light on the water. The four of them watched it dance in the air as it slowly ascended, first rising above the trees, and then the buildings. They watched until it was lost from view, hidden amidst the sea of stars.

Tenten reached for Neji's hand, holding it in hers. A single tear rolling down her cheek as she whispered so softly that no one could hear.

"Goodbye."


End file.
